


Loving the Alien

by love_in_the_stars



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Cap_Ironman Reverse Bang, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-17
Updated: 2012-04-17
Packaged: 2017-11-03 20:11:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/385457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_in_the_stars/pseuds/love_in_the_stars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A journey that starts with horrible first impressions and ends with a first date promise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Loving the Alien

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Полюбить незнакомца](https://archiveofourown.org/works/952929) by [Chrissy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chrissy/pseuds/Chrissy)



> Written for the cap_ironman Reverse Bang Challenge based off the amazing art by gottalovev. Also, beta'd by the wonderful bballgirl3022.

To Tony it felt like he'd always been on the defensive with Steve.  
  
From the first moment they met and Steve had looked at him, faced with the words 'Tony Stark' and 'Howard's son', and he had seen the _disappointment_ in those eyes. It was that moment that Tony knew all his excitement to meet Captain America was misplaced because Steve Rogers wanted Howard Stark, not his spoiled playboy of a son.  
  
So Tony reacted to that realization in the only way he knew how, offensive and defensive all at once in one of the most terrible first meetings Tony had ever had. He walked out of that S.H.I.E.L.D room with his head high and shame settled like a rock in his gut. It didn’t matter though, Captain America was nothing.  
  
The second meeting went just as badly because Fury was trying to blackmail him into joining that team of superheroes, Avengers they were calling themselves, and Tony wasn't having that. Maybe if Fury had tried to ask him and not force him, Tony might have been more convinced that the team could work but that was Fury's mistake and the rest of it was all just Tony's. The Captain even tried to get him to agree but Tony couldn't shake the way those blue eyes judged him and he could only imagine how wanting the man found him. In reaction, Tony did what Tony did best and mocked, degrading him and the team and S.H.I.E.L.D and 'I don't play well with others'.  
  
The man who took out the Red Skull was no form of pushover though, not even 70 years outside of his own time, and the snapped back demand about Tony's worth without being Iron Man stung something so far buried beneath everything Tony pretended to be that he didn't even hesitate in his own response.  
  
Steve was the one to walk away that time but that was okay because Captain America was nothing. He was Iron Man, he was Tony Stark and what could he possibly need from Steve Rogers?  
  
\----  
  
Tony's agreement to join the team at least shut Fury up but then, a few weeks and wannabe-villains later, he made the mistake of getting into a fight with the man about S.H.I.E.L.D's flimsy headquarters and inadvertently invited the entire Avengers team into his own home.  
  
Which, okay, unexpected but not the end of the world.  
  
Banner certainly couldn't keep living in the S.H.I.E.L.D's crappy four square foot single rooms so Tony was happy to help in that regards.  
  
Clint appreciated the offer and that was fine too because he actually got on rather well with the other man, as two sarcastic attitudes mesh well apparently.  
  
Thor was a fun guy, loud and personable and generally very likable so that was perfectly fine too. Natasha coming along was something Tony would need more time to adjust to because he did not and would not trust her. As a general rule he didn't like being stabbed repeatedly with needles filled with either tranquilizers or, at the time, unknown substances and one didn't come out of experiences like that without becoming neurotically jumpy around the person involved.  
  
The only real issue he had about the accidental invitation was that Steve even more than the others had no place outside of S.H.I.E.L.D to go and was even more grateful for the offer if the terribly sincere thanks he gave Tony was any indication. Tony, at the time had been so stunned by his own 'offer' and the others quick acceptances that when Steve thanked him all he could do was stutter a bit and wave off his gratitude as if allergic to it.  
  
Tony went home from that meeting feeling more at a loss then he had since first coming back from captivity. Then, in that way his mind had of working like a dog with a bone once tossed an idea, Tony spent the next week remodeling the mansion with an obsessive intent he usually reserved for re-creating elements and super powered suits. But that feeling of satisfaction, rarer these days then he would ever admit, after everything was said and done and the mansion ready for superheroes, was something Tony always savored. Of course, everyone's visible awe during the tour was pretty spectacular to feel as well.  
  
The full court archery course with every form of target imaginable and even some unique to Tony's imagination nearly made Clint hug him and the archer didn't even stick around for the rest of the tour after seeing that room. Tony let him skip, not having the heart to deny the man something created for him.  
  
For Bruce, Tony relegated a large portion of his underground lab that was mostly unused, except for the clutter he'd been storing there, and blocked it off into a full lab set up like the one Bruce had before becoming the Hulk. If anyone knew what it was like to be without the work it was Tony and the grateful look from Bruce only reinforced his determination to help the man if he needed anything else.  
  
There wasn't much he could have done for Natasha so instead Tony made sure her room was completely cut off from any and all kinds of observation to be at least one place where she could be absolutely alone, privacy ensured. Judging by the small smile that didn't look even vaguely homicidal, he'd done that much right at least.  
  
Thor was relatively simple to provide for as well by simply putting his room as the one highest up and installed with a huge sunroof that was removable with nothing more then the push of a button in case the God wanted open space or just a way to fly out of the house. Honestly, Tony suspected the thunderer was more impressed with the retracting glass then anything else but that was just fine too.  
  
Steve was, of course, the absolute hardest to prepare for because Tony had no idea how much the man would accept from him. So, Tony left his room mostly basic with just an addition of a desk packed with art supplies next to the bed and wardrobe. Besides, he suspected Steve would be more impressed with the gym and that was fine too because the man was built like a Greek statue. Therefore it was the gym Tony showed to Steve after simply telling him where his room was and he introduced the Captain to the things he'd created to help with sparring or whatever exercising he liked to do. The most notable addition was specially reinforced punching bags. Tony had heard from various S.H.I.E.L.D agents about the way Steve could tear apart normal bags and acted accordingly. If the curious first few punches against the bags and Steve's thoughtful look was anything to judge by, Tony had scored on that aspect. Still, he didn't want to hover around Steve more than he had to for the sake of introduction to the house so Tony left him in the gym with nothing more then a reminder that Jarvis was there in case he needed anything and then fled.  
  
All in all, the transition worked out startlingly well and Tony was cautiously optimistic that as long as they stayed out of each other's way, this whole team thing could work out quite well. The truth was though, that he wasn't used to living with others and hadn't since he was a child. It was new and unnerving to find evidence of other people every time he turned around.  
  
Silver Pop-Tart wrappers scattered everywhere from Thor, occasional suspicious sounds from Bruce's lab and calming mood music CDs in the players, magazines left on couches and side tables from Clint, knives and hair ties stashed in odd places from Natasha and number two pencils littered the kitchen and living room tables from Steve. Soon it became obvious how they filled his own home better then Tony did himself because the only things he had to even mark the Mansion as his own was all down stairs and hidden away from everyone in his workshop.  
  
And of course, one of the drawbacks to living with other people when one was not used to such a thing meant that person tended to not expect the potential for nosy teammates to interfere with the way they lived. And by teammates, Tony mostly meant Steve, who had started to take an interest in him that quite honestly baffled Tony.  
  
The first hint of Steve's growing curiosity, and it had to be curiosity because what else could it be, occurred when Tony had emerged from his lab after three straight days to hand off to Clint the new arrows he'd been working on. Well, actually, Tony had showered first because after three days even he could get pretty rank. Then he'd set out to scour the mansion and find Clint.  
  
The archer had been in the kitchen with the others, minus Bruce who was likely in his lab just like Tony, and Tony had almost hesitated. He'd been hoping to catch Clint alone but this was a good thing he was doing so he had no reason to hide, right? So, Tony interrupted their lunch, it looked like lunch but he hadn't exactly checked the time so he could be wrong, to hand them off.  
  
The pleased surprise on the archer's face made every hour of work even more worth it and Tony actually felt some measure of pride. That was good enough for him but when Tony tried to retreat, Steve was there and he didn't want to look at him, Clint halted him.  
  
“Hey, I only asked for these three days ago and they weren't exactly an emergency, you didn't have to rush.”  
  
Rush, ha! Tony snorted and smirked, “I didn't rush, rushing is expecting me to have something like an arc reactor built in a cave with a box of scraps and a limited time frame and I can still do that with no problem so trust me when I say that was not a rush job.”  
  
The only one of them with any idea about what he'd just said was Natasha but her face as a smooth as ever and Tony was abruptly glad for that. He hadn't actually meant to say that much, especially not about something as delicate as the machine in his chest keeping him alive but he was oddly nervous and that was probably because of Steve's presence.  
  
“Yeah, okay, whatever you say Stark.”  
  
“Have you been working on those this whole time?”  
  
And speaking of America's Shining Star. Tony turned to rest a hip against the counter and look toward Steve at the table.  
  
“Of course not, those arrows are nowhere near complicated enough to take me three days but I do have other things to work on and I like switching between projects.” He was looking at Steve's face enough to see the frown growing there but not to make eye contact and Tony waited, sure there was more coming.  
  
“But have you left your workshop these last few days for anything beyond a mission?”  
  
Okay, not an expected question. Tony forced himself not to react beyond a shrug or show his irritation, “well sure. When I need a break I take one.” Which usually translated to Tony not eating or sleeping until he's really reached his limit but Steve can't know that. Besides, Tony took a nap yesterday for about two hours, he was good to go for a bit yet.  
  
Steve didn’t seem to have anything more to say but Tony noticed his brows draw together thoughtfully and decided now would be a good time to head back downstairs. With a pompous bow and smirk, Tony grabbed a quick mug of coffee and left Clint to his new arrows and Steve Rogers to his judging.  
  
\---  
  
Tony stayed down in his shop straight through supper, not that he even noticed and probably never would have if not for the sudden knocking on the glass doors of his workshop. He looked up through the tinted lenses of welding goggles and blinked dumbly at the large shape of Steve hovering outside the doors. He spared a moment to wonder if he was starting to hallucinate before shutting off the machine in his hands and pushing the goggles up on his head.  
  
“Open the doors, Jarvis.” He said after a minute of debate. Tony couldn’t possibly imagine why Steve was down here but couldn’t turn him away either, not right now. Not when it could be important.  
  
The doors opened with a hiss and Steve stepped slowly through, looking around the shop with obvious interest and not a little wide eyed wonder. That, more than anything allowed Tony to relax a bit and he grabbed a spare cloth to wipe his hands off with.  
  
“How can I help you, Captain?”  
  
Steve ignored his question but still approached, he didn’t touch anything but moved in subtle ways that suggested he’d like to. “This is...like nothing I’ve seen yet.”  
  
It was hard not to preen, really hard.  
  
“To be fair, most people haven’t.” Tony said in response and Steve looked at him in question. “Most of the stuff in here, besides my tools, are experimental. Half-finished designs and flights of fancy I’ve not really had the time to complete.”  
  
Steve nodded and carefully picked up something that looked like a hand-held gaming system, like one of the old Gameboys except with extra parts sticking out of it. “And what is this?”  
  
Surprised that he was asking and kind of embarrassed, Tony strode forward to quickly take the gadget from him. “Uh, that’s a flight of fancy. Just something I was playing around with one night, nothing special.” He said with a disarming grin.  
  
Steve didn’t need to know that one night Tony had set down to see if he could manufacture a pocket dimension because it was a better alternative to drinking until he passed out. It hadn’t exactly worked and after the third backfire that resulted in singed hair, Tony had given it up. So yeah, he didn’t need to know about that.  
  
When Tony set the device aside and didn’t explain, Steve seemed to take that easily enough and just looked around some more.  
  
He was making Tony uncomfortable. The workshop with his space, people who weren’t Pepper or Rhodey just didn’t come down here. Steve was throwing him off again.  
  
“So, was there something you needed, Cap?”  
  
“Not really.” The Captain said, casually as you pleased. “Clint was going on about those arrows you made him.”  
  
That caused a nice wash of pleasure and Tony shifted on his feet, fighting a bigger smile than the carefully maintained one he had now. “Really?”  
  
“Yeah, he’s acting like it’s a Christmas present come early.” Steve said wearing an amused grin of his own.  
  
Tony waved a hand and snorted, “oh that’s nothing. I have much better plans for Christmas.” He did too because he’d been having these ideas lately about a bow equipped with things like electronic targeting and hidden pockets strategically placed to avoid throwing off the balance of the bow itself. Honestly, Tony just had a lot of ideas in general and it felt good to finally have people to invent for. People other than the general society and who he could see the affect his creations had on them.  
  
“Bit early for Christmas.”  
  
A quick look showed that Steve didn’t look less amused but now it was harder to tell if that was a positive thing. If that maybe Steve wasn’t laughing at him. Tony shrugged, “I plan ahead.”  
  
Tenser now, and maybe a bit irritated, Tony turned back toward the table and his stool, plopping down on the padded seat. If Steve doesn’t need anything then Tony can’t figure out why he’d be here. Therefore maybe the man will take the hint and leave. Besides, he still had some more work to do before he could consider shutting everything down to sleep for a while.  
  
“So, you did get some sleep last night, right?”  
  
What?  
  
Tony turned to stare at Steve, bewildered and frowning because, what? Where in the hell did that come from?  
  
“I...are you seriously asking me about my sleeping habits?”  
  
Steve just looked steadily at him, one brow raised in expectant determination and Tony was honestly kind of blindsided.  
  
“Yes, okay. I did get some sleep last night.” He snapped finally, petulant and doing his utmost best to look indignant. Which wasn’t hard. And of course, Steve had no way of knowing Tony meant sleep as in those two hours yesterday where as the Captain probably meant genuine sleep.  
  
“Good.” Steve said, as if it really was as simple as that. “I’ve noticed you don’t seem to rest as often as you probably should.”  
  
Okay, no. Just no. If Tony wanted another babysitter he’d pay for one.  
  
“Look,” he began, picking up a tiny welding torch. “As much as I appreciate your apparent concern for my health, I assure you I’ve been taking care of myself for a good portion of my life and I really don’t need a babysitter. Jarvis is a bad enough nagger, I don’t need you too.”  
  
“Speaking of nagging, sir.” Jarvis spoke up before Steve could articulate what that expression on his face meant and Tony snapped his fingers, pointing up at the ceiling without looking.  
  
“You, shut it. Unless you’re about to tell me how that simulation that I asked you to run went?”  
  
“Still running, sir.”  
  
Tony nodded, satisfied that he’d warned his AI and looked at Steve. “Seriously, was that it because I’m kind of in the middle of something.”  
  
“Tony.” Steve paused and just looked at him for a long moment before nodding. “Alright, sorry to bother you. But just so you know there are some leftovers from dinner in the fridge if you get hungry.”  
  
Tony just blinked after him as the man left, looking around as curiously as when he’d come in but not back at him.  
  
Leftovers in the fridge? Who did that? Wasn’t that one of those family show cliche things? Scowling, Tony shook it off as a forties quirk and looked over at the pocket dimension generator. Maybe he could give that another go, it’s been a few years and Tony had certainly learned things since then. Perhaps he could do something amazing again.  
  
“Sir.” Jarvis said again as Tony stood to collect the makeshift project.  
  
“What is it you wanted to say, Jarvis.”  
  
“I was going to remind you that it was passed time for you to eat but since Captain Rogers has already informed you, I merely have to say that the simulation is complete.”  
  
Tony repressed a sigh and rolled his eyes, “hint acknowledged, Jarvis, thank you.”  
  
“You’re welcome, sir.”  
  
Honestly, sentient AI programs are all well and good but why did he have to give his an attitude?  
  
\---  
  
After that, Steve seemed to take it upon himself to act like another one of Tony’s keepers. As if he didn’t get enough of that from Rhodey and Pepper. It wasn’t a bad thing, per se, just insanely weird.  
  
The guy didn’t even like him and was still so determined to ‘help’ him. Honestly, how could anyone be _that_ good?  
  
Well, he _was_ Captain America. Tony supposed he must figure it to be part of his job as team leader or something. After all, why else would Steve Rogers waste time on Tony Stark if not for the influence of Iron Man?  
  
\---  
  
To everyone’s surprise, Iron Man and Captain America worked almost flawlessly together when on the battlefield. They didn’t argue over orders and if either one had an issue they actually talked about it over the comms rather than get into fistfights. The whole team worked well together actually.  
  
That wasn’t to say there weren’t kinks to work out because Thor liked to just bash things with his hammer without stopping to wonder if those things could possibly blow up the entire block. The Hulk sometimes caused more damage then the enemies they faced when he used things like cars and train cargo to smash the opposition with. Clint and Natasha had the slightly bad habit of being all over the place at once which meant the others struggled to keep track of them to ensure the two agents didn’t get hit with their attacks. Steve sometimes forgot how to phrase things over the comms in a way that was understandable today and not forties military lingo, but time would help him on that one. Tony, not used to working with a team of any kind, found himself spending more time watching after the others then was probably advisable. Not to mention the way he kept throwing himself into dangerous situations after another.  
  
It was never a conscious thing when he did it. Tony didn’t go out to every fight looking for a chance to endanger himself. It was just that sometimes things happened that if not for his interference, would have hurt one of the others or done more damage to the city then was allowed and if he could stop it he saw no reason not too.  
  
Like now, actually.  
  
It was all Victor von Doom’s fault, really. Him and his stupid affinity for building robots to do his fighting for him rather than facing off against the Avengers or the Fantastic Four himself. Doom may have been a coward but he was a smart coward and he’d been watching the way the new team fought. Well, the robots had been watching which, according to Tony’s HUD readouts, made them learning ‘bots.  
  
Their usual fighting styles weren’t going to work on these things for long. A quick conversation over the comms informed everyone that this battle would have to be quick and Thor, the eager puppy, claimed he would handle it.  
  
It took Tony ten seconds too long to figure out what the Asgardian was up to. The skies darkened with alarming quickness, thunder rumbling ominously and Tony’s sensors screamed in warning. Atmospheric pressure was rising too fast, electricity sparking across the sleek surface of his armor in the air and he halted, hovering.  
  
Thunder cracked and lightning, so much white lightning, ripped through the black clouds to strike Thor’s hammer, building power like nothing else Tony’s ever seen. Too late, always too late, Tony realized what Thor meant to do but his scream to stop wasn’t heard, not with all that noise and Thor let loose.  
  
He released the full power of lightning at the gaggle of robots that already knew Thor was a God of thunder and had been built to withstand such an attack. Not just to withstand but to rebound at that. That much power would take out the team, Clint and Natasha could very well be killed and Steve, not even that shield was likely to stop an attack like that. Thor would be fine of course, Tony would probably get away with just some fired circuits but the others...  
  
God, the others would die.  
  
His choice was a no brainer.  
  
The lightning hit the robots, Tony threw his all into the thrusters of the suit to rocket himself out in front of the team, slamming to a stop in midair, arms braced out. The robots glowed a furious blue, blinding in intensity, absorbing all that power. Then, with a deafening crackle like that of static, they sent all that energy back and Tony threw out a repulsor wave, not an attack but an attraction. A charge altered to draw the full force of the rouge lightning directly to him despite the frantic red warning signs on his HUD and Jarvis’ pointed silence.  
  
The lightning hit him and absorbing all that energy hurt like nothing Tony had ever felt before. Not even getting blown up with a missile of his own design had hurt like this. This was even worse then the agony of being paralyzed and the arc reactor taken from his chest. The pain was so immense he almost couldn’t push passed it enough to remember to re-direct the lightning up to the sky.  
  
But he did it.  
  
Somehow, through the bone crushing agony and the screaming in his ears that he couldn’t tell was from himself or his teammates yelling into the comm, Tony managed to pull it all together enough to send that blast sky high. And the moment the last of the energy left him, everything shut down, the armor an absolute dead weight.  
  
He was freefalling through the still static charged air like a pound weight through water. The pain hadn’t left with the lightning and he knew, vaguely, that when he impacted with the ground it would hurt even worse, if that was possible.  
  
If he hit the ground or was rescued, Tony didn’t know because he didn’t stay conscious long enough to land. The world slipped away in a blackness darker then the inside of the suit and the last thing Tony was aware enough to notice was the blue light of his reactor flickering.  
  
\---  
  
Tony woke to the even beep of a heart monitor, acutely aware of where he was even through the haze of pain that seemed to radiate from every part of his body. He lay perfectly still, eyes closed and concentrated on breathing until he felt somewhat less disorientated. Memory came to him in flashes of data and observation. Robots, check. Thor being an over-eager thunder God, check. Right.  
  
He was alive, that was good. If he survived then everyone else most likely did too but he should open his eyes and call for someone to check. He needed to know if it worked, if he saved them or if he needed to get drunk the moment he checked out of here.  
  
Tony needed to do it, needed to _know_ but his head was thick and everything hurt and he slipped away again before he could gather the strength.  
  
\---  
  
The next time he woke up, Tony was actually able to open his eyes. His head wasn’t quite so packed full of what felt like rocks and the full body agony was more like an ache. Discretely, Tony wiggled his fingers and toes, relieved when everything moved right even if painfully. He took a fortifying breath and cracked his eyes, suppressing a whine at the sting of bright light. Slowly he adjusted and managed to look around, unsurprised to see Pepper parked beside his bed in a sterile white chair, head tipped forward awkwardly as she slept.  
  
Pepper. There really wasn’t a better person in this world. He just didn’t know how she managed to put up with his shit for so long.  
  
“Pep.” He said, voice a croak that cracked on him. She didn’t stir and he worked his mouth to get a bit of saliva to work with before trying again. “Pepper.” That was stronger, better, and she shot awake with a gasp of his name.  
  
“Tony!” She was red eyed but dry and God, he would never get over how beautiful she was. It really was too bad that the one person who understood him couldn’t be with him for that very reason. Pepper hit the call button beside his bed and leaned closer. “How do you feel?”  
  
“Like I went a few rounds against the Hulk without the armor.” He replied and she shook her head.  
  
“You might as well have. If it wasn’t for the fact that stunt probably saved the other’s lives, I would be smacking you so hard right now.”  
  
Tony blinked, not surprised by the threat but relieved that the team was obviously okay. He’d done it.  
  
“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you to stop scaring me like this. I _don’t_ want to be stuck running even more of your company then I already am.” She said, fingers clutched around the Starkphone in her hand and obviously still stressed.  
  
“But you do such a good job!” Tony joked, reaching out to take the phone from her tight grip. “I’m okay, Pep, I promise. This isn’t like...before, you know that.”  
  
She sniffed, just once, and nodded. “I know.”  
  
“Help me sit up.”  
  
“Tony, wait, I think you should wait for the doctor before you...”  
  
“Pep.”  
  
She closed her mouth and reached out, gently helping him get his back into the pillows and he let out a breath. Keeping the phone in one hand, Tony pulled the neck of his gown open enough to look at the reactor, reassuring himself that it was still working.  
  
Because his last memory while falling was the flickering light.  
  
Pepper was talking before he could ask, tone brisk in a way that belied her tension. “The lightning shorted out the reactor briefly but it recovered on its own.”  
  
Right. Of course it did. Arc reactor tech didn’t run like normal electrical things, it would have been much more resistant than the suit itself.  
  
“Most of your injuries came from being electrocuted, not any problems with the reactor.” The _thank God_ went unsaid but Tony understood.  
  
“What happened to the armor?”  
  
“Thor took it to your lab. And he’s been standing outside your door since.” Pepper tried to grin but it looked weak. “He feels guilty.”  
  
Tony sighed and started dialing a number with her phone one handed, “He looks like a kicked puppy doesn’t he?”  
  
That got a slightly stronger smile, “Yeah. What are you doing?” She asked when he put the phone up to his ear and Tony just shook his head.  
  
“Happy, my man! No, I’m fine. Yeah, I know. I know, Hap. Yeah. No, everything’s good I just need you to bring the car around.”  
  
Pepper opened her mouth to argue but Tony kept going. “No, Hap, not for me. I think it’s time Pepper got some sleep in a real bed, wouldn’t you say?”  
  
He must have got an affirmative because Tony hung up the phone then handed it back to her, waving a hand to forestall her protests. “Relax. I’m fine, Pep. You need to go and get some rest so you can take care of my company. The media is going to have a field day with this, not to mention the Board.”  
  
She wrinkled her nose and sighed, “yeah. I know. I’ll take care of it.”  
  
“I know you will.”  
  
“Halt! What reason do you have for entering my fallen comrade’s place of healing and rest?” Thor’s booming voice demanded.  
  
Tony grinned and shook his head as Pepper got up to let the doctor in and talk Thor down. Honestly, the God was just precious. Tony’s favorite, hands down.  
  
\---  
  
Pepper left just after the doctor finished checking Tony over and telling him he was to stay at least another night in the hospital. He didn’t have any intention of following that request but no one needed to know that.  
  
Unfortunately he couldn’t get Thor to leave. The God was determined to watch over Tony until he was better to atone for causing the injuries in the first place. It was flattering and touching but Tony genuinely couldn’t talk him into leaving, not even after stating several times and different ways that he didn’t blame the Asgardian.  
  
Instead, he got Thor to tell the rest of the story about what happened after he crashed. Once you took away the outlandish embellishments that permeated Asgardian speech, the story was quite simple.  
  
When Tony went down it had been left to Clint and Natasha to tend to him and rush him off to the hospital while Steve and Thor laid waste to the robots. Apparently between the two of them it was short work.  
  
“I’ve not before seen the good Captain fight in such a fierce manner. He was quite incensed and worried in no small degree over your continued health.”  
  
That was surprising but as a general rule Thor didn’t lie and had no reason to besides so it must have been true, at least in Thor’s eyes. It was more likely that Cap was pissed at Tony for getting himself zapped out of the fight. Well, whatever, the ‘good Captain’ can think whatever the hell he wanted. What Tony did was save their lives so the man didn’t even want to try to get in his face over it.  
  
Still, Tony was sick of being here already and so long as Thor was here he couldn’t sneak out or sign AMA while flirting with the nurses.  
  
Actually...  
  
“Hey Thor.”  
  
“Yes!”  
  
“I need a favor, do this and I promise it totally makes up for frying me.”  
  
\---  
  
Genius was a beautiful thing, Tony mused later in the comfort of his lab. In one fell swoop he managed to get Thor off his back, to stop feeling guilty and got himself out of that stifling hospital. Two birds, one stone and all that jazz.  
  
While he healed he could distract himself with fixing the armor, which was a priority because there was no telling when another attack would happen and he had to be prepared. Even if he wasn't up to snuff when it happened the armor had enough self-support controls to aid him in a fight.  
  
And honestly, his armor had seen better days. It was scorched, paint blackened, circuits more then fried and frankly scary looking. If Tony had only needed to shield himself, the armor would have come out of that fight mostly intact but in order to save the rest of the team he'd been forced to act as a lightning rod and reroute the attack through himself and his armor rather than simply reflect the energy that would have hit him.  
  
It was worth it though, he could rebuild the armor; he couldn't raise the dead.  
  
Under Jarvis' instruction, Thor had left the suit scattered across various worktops and Tony took a moment now to rearrange the pieces into similar categories. The metal was warped and brittle in places which meant those bits had to be replaced entirely but most of it he could probably reuse. His main concern was the wiring. All of it would have to be replaced and it was time consuming work, not to mention delicate.  
  
With Dummy at his side to hold the wires, Tony pulled up a cushioned roller chair and grabbed one of the gauntlets to start with. "Hit it, Jarvis."  
  
\---  
  
Tony was heavily under the working haze when his music cut out and if not for the fact he was still trying to sing along he probably wouldn't have noticed the loss enough to register Steve's approach.  
  
The blond didn't look happy and Tony did a quick mental review of what he could have done to make him mad. All he could think of was the disaster the fight turned out to be and braced himself for a lecture on teamwork or some such thing.  
  
"Tony."  
  
How Steve was so good at sounding disapproving in one word had to be a superpower of some kind, Tony mused.  
  
"Steve."  
  
"I was told you were going to be at the hospital for at least another day." He said tone unaccusing and pointedly mild.  
  
Tony shrugged dismissively, “me and hospitals have a bad relationship. I chose to escape while I could, for the betterment of us both, of course.”  
  
“Are you sure that was a good idea? The doctors...”  
  
“Could do nothing more. I’m banged up but mostly fine. I’ll heal but until then I have better things to do then sit in a bed staring at the walls.” Tony couldn’t function without having something to do; staying in a bed like that would have driven him insane within a day. Well, more insane. He’s heard the doubts on his sanity and can’t really say he doesn’t sometimes wonder the same thing.  
  
Steve was frowning now, looking at him in that strange judging way he had before giving a short nod. He still didn’t look happy though and there seemed something fundamentally wrong about that. Captain America shouldn’t be sad, wasn’t there a rule about it? And why was Steve still looking at him like that?  
  
“What?” Tony snapped defensively, fidgeting with a wire.  
  
Something in Steve’s face softened, “nothing. I’m just glad you’re okay.”  
  
And really, what do you say to that? ‘Well thanks but you should be because I totally saved your ass’? That was a bit asshole-like, even for him.  
  
“Ah, thanks.” He muttered after an uncertain moment.  
  
“How bad is your armor?”  
  
Tony tensed and shrugged one shoulder, “it’ll be fine. Once I fix the circuitry and repair the cosmetic damage it’ll be good to go again.” He said stiffly, frustrated for no sensible reason. The armor was important, right, at least Steve could see that much.  
  
Steve blinked at him a few times as if confused and Tony stared right back, “what?”  
  
“You frustrate and confuse me.” Steve said abruptly, immediately coloring as if he hadn’t meant to say that. And now Tony blinked several times at him. He was almost too surprised to get offended. Almost.  
  
Instead, Tony scowled and pointed a screwdriver at the Captain. “I can say the same for you.”  
  
“I didn’t...I meant that.” Steve cut himself off and sighed before straightening his shoulders as if braced for battle. “I meant to ask if you’d like to go out sometime.”  
  
“But you don’t even like me!” Was all Tony could think to say, mind reeling because _what?_ Did he just get asked out by Captain America?  
  
“I don’t even know you, Tony. All I know is what others have told me and it’s not like we’ve spent much time together for me to get to know you.”  
  
Tony winced because that should have been reason enough for Steve to not like him. It wasn’t as though anyone had very glowing things to say about him.  
  
“And every time we do talk you’re kinda...”  
  
“An ass?” He supplied helpfully and Steve flushed again. “So what? You wanna go have a mutual bonding session together?” His disdain was clear in the tone and his face but Steve didn’t back down.  
  
“I’m not saying that. I just think we should go out somewhere, together, and spend some time. I want to get to know _you_ not the guy everyone talks about.”  
  
Tony almost tells him there is no difference between the two but Steve looked stupidly hopeful, as if getting to do this actually matters somehow, and Tony can’t do it. He evidently has a Steve Rogers weakness and damn it all...  
  
“Alright, fine. Whatever, but you can’t kick me off the team when you realize I am actually the ass everyone says.” He warned, wanting some form of consolation that even though this was a terrible idea at least he wouldn’t be scrapped for it.  
  
Steve frowned at him, a touch exasperated, but nodded. “When are you free?”  
  
Tony looked around at the mess of a suit and shrugged. Honestly, the suit repairs would probably take him a few days and Steve looked eager to get started. Which was freaking strange, having someone so invested in just talking to him, getting to know him. Who even did that anymore?  
  
“Uh, give me like two hours to clean up and we can head out.”  
  
Smiling now, and _wow_ was that punch to the gut, Steve nodded. He looked much more relaxed and even relieved. Tony had mixed feelings about being the one to cause that. “Clint has taught me to play pool. He mentioned that some of the bars around the city have tables, maybe we could go to one?”  
  
Pool, huh? That sounded safe enough. Pool was all about calculating force with trajectory and Tony could do that stuff in his sleep so no problem there. And bars were comfortable enough, neutral territory for them both. Not having the suit shouldn’t be too much of an issue either, Steve was sure to bring his shield should anything go wrong.  
  
Besides, Tony could use some greasy bar food and a chance to maybe relax some. He wouldn’t be able to drink but that didn’t matter because Steve couldn’t get drunk so that wouldn’t be fair anyway.  
  
“Yeah, sure. That’s fine. I think I know a place.”  
  
Steve nodded again and they stared at each other for a long moment before Tony cracked a grin, unable to help himself. “I need to clean up, Steve. I’ll meet you upstairs, okay?”  
  
“Right! Of course, sorry.” Sheepishly, Steve took one last look around and started back toward the door. Tony stared after him, totally bemused. Once Steve was gone, he shook his head and tapped the screwdriver against the table.  
  
“Jarvis? What just happened?”  
  
“I believe you’ve almost made a friend, sir.”  
  
“Hah, that’s funny.”  
  
“I do try.”  
  
“Yeah, whatever. Save and shut off everything that could catch on fire while I’m gone.”  
  
“Of course, sir.”  
  
Huh. A ‘get-to-know-you’ thing. How interesting. Maybe with a little bit of luck, Tony won’t screw this up. But he wasn’t about to hold his breath.

\---  
  
Tony took a quick shower to wash off the lingering hospital scents and machine grease, taking care to move gently. His whole body still ached but he was miles better then when he first came back home. Truly, he healed far better here than any sterile environment. After a quick touch up shave and some product sifted into his hair, Tony stood in front of his huge, walk in closet.  
  
What to wear?  
  
Not his casual work clothes, that was for sure. But not a high end suit, either. Maybe one of his more comfortable suit sets? The kind with the nice fabric as opposed to the stuffy linen of the high society functions. Yeah, that would work. For posterity’s sake he grabbed a purple tie to offset the deep black and took a long look at himself. That was good, casual but fashionable. He’d look like just one of the many businessmen who hit the bars after a long day at the office.  
  
Satisfied, Tony left his room and headed down for the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee to go. He didn’t run into Steve along the way, which probably meant the man was waiting for him at the front door like an eager puppy going for a walk, but Clint was camped out at the kitchen table.  
  
The sharpshooter took one look at Tony’s dress and lifted a brow, “They got you on a press jump already?”  
  
“Thank God, no.” Tony muttered, pressing a button on the sleek and huge coffee maker before grabbing a travel mug from the cupboards.  
  
“Then where are you going?”  
  
 _Clint Barton, nosy agent of SHIELD at your service_ , Tony thought in exasperated amusement but said nothing.  
  
“You know, Steve went through here not too long ago looking pretty upbeat about something. You two got something going on?”  
  
The curiosity had to be killing him, so Tony turned around, leaning a hip against the counter. “You’re the super spy, Barton. You tell me.”  
  
Clint peered at him for a long moment, eyes narrowed before he gave a one-shouldered, uncaring shrug that Tony didn’t believe for a moment. “Whatever man, just don’t get Steve in trouble or Fury’ll have your ass on a platter.”  
  
“The only thing about Fury that intimidates me is his eye patch.”  
  
“Right.” Clint said with a snort, but he was echoing Tony’s smirk.  
  
The coffee maker beeped and Tony shoved his mug under it, hitting a button. As the mug filled he was aware of Clint watching him but ignored it. By the time the cup was full and Tony snapped on the lip before turning around, Clint was gone.  
  
Typical. Damned super spies anyway, can’t make noise when they move like normal people did.  
  
\---  
  
Steve was, in fact, waiting at the front door for Tony. He didn’t dare consider the curious thing that did to the integrity of his stomach.  
  
\---  
  
In light of where they were heading, Tony didn’t take any of his newer cars or the ‘32 Flathead (though he was sorely tempted considering the looks he’d seen Steve throw the beast). They’d be suspicious considering the cost behind them and he didn’t want this outing to draw attention. Instead, he grabbed the keys to the Audi R8, which was a better alternative to the others and really, he did miss his Rolls-Royce Phantom.  
  
Steve was suitably impressed by the car, though impressed was maybe too mild of a term. In attempts to not be an ass, Tony actually followed the traffic laws and regulations on the way to his bar of choice for the night.  
  
They hadn’t actually said much to each other yet but strangely it wasn’t an uncomfortable air between them. Usually Tony couldn’t stand silences and would babble about whatever crossed his mind in order to break them but for once his mind was actually kind of quiet. He was busy concentrating on driving and watching Steve look out the window with blatant curiosity.  
  
Tony tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, thoughtful. “Hey, Cap. Can I ask you something?”  
  
Steve looked away from the window to turn more towards him, “sure.”  
  
“How are you settling in? I mean, really adjusting.”  
  
Steve’s shoulders tighten automatically but Tony genuinely wanted to know and so pointedly didn’t look away from the road. Out the corner of his eye, he saw Steve run a hand through his hair before relaxing again. “Honestly? It’s hard sometimes. I still have dreams of course, and sometimes when I wake up it’s hard to remember. I can’t even begin to explain how different everything is but...I’m getting better. I still miss...” he trailed off but Tony’s heard enough.  
  
He understood, to some degree anyway, and had no intention of pushing. Instead, he debated for a moment before grudgingly opening his mouth. “This is different for me too, you know. Not the ‘man out of time’ thing of course, that is all you but _this_. This teamwork thing and having other people to worry about is new. I wasn’t just being an ass when I told you I don’t play well with others. I’ve never had to before so I don’t expect to be very good at it.”  
  
“Seems to me you’ve done just fine.” Steve said, looking over at him again and Tony shook his head.  
  
“I’m not talking about the fighting together.”  
  
“Neither am I.”  
  
And Tony didn’t know what to say to that.  
  
Seriously, _how is this guy real_?  
  
\---  
  
Tony was the one to lead them into the bar, which was a slightly swanky place of course. Steve followed close behind him with the black cloth portfolio that housed his shield.  
  
The bar was spacious but not big enough to feel too open. It was actually rather homey and the first thing Tony did was to go up to the counter and order several different foods. While waiting for it he sent Steve to pick them out a table and reflected on how they’d yet to get into a fight. Granted it was early yet but this was the longest they’ve gone without yelling at each other. He was actually rather pleased with himself.  
  
After being handed a tray loaded with chicken wings, fries, two double cheeseburgers, two sodas and cheese sticks, Tony retreated to the table where Steve sat eying the pool game already going on. It was painfully obvious the man was looking forward to their game and Tony had to grin.  
  
“Relax slugger, let’s eat before issuing the challenge, yeah?”  
  
Steve looked at him sheepishly but nodded and fell on the food with a vengeance Tony was amused to watch. He figured that the Super Soldier serum had to have cursed him with an advanced metabolism and made a mental note to have them eat again before leaving tonight. Tony himself only picked through the selection and finished off his burger then left the rest to Steve.  
  
They talked a little while they ate. Mostly about the team. About Clint, Natasha and Bruce. About Thor and his issues with Loki. About SI and Pepper’s terrifying fury. Not once did Steve even look like he was thinking to bring up Howard and Tony was so relieved by that because they were _talking_. They were completely civilized with each other right now, even a bit friendly, and Tony wanted to hang onto that. Any mention of Howard would be sure to ruin it, just like it soured their first conversation.  
  
“Hey, Tony.” Steve said somewhat timidly, finally slowing down on the inhaling of their food. “I wanted to ask you something. You can say no, of course.”  
  
Curious, Tony shrugged a shoulder. “Shoot.”  
  
“Can you tell me about the reactor?”  
  
That certainly wasn’t the question he was expecting. “It’s all in my file.”  
  
Steve nodded slightly, “I know but I wanted to hear it from you. You were the one there dealing with it all, not whoever wrote the reports.”  
  
“Which in my case was Natasha.” Tony said, mostly to gain himself an extra minute of composure. “So what is it that you want to know. The reactor itself or how I got it?”  
  
“Whatever you’re comfortable telling me.” Steve said with a shrug.  
  
“Well, I might as well skip telling you the mechanics of it, you won’t understand. I guess all you need to know is that taking it out or having the light,” he tapped his chest, “go out equals a very bad thing.”  
  
Steve nodded again, staring at Tony’s chest like if he just looked hard enough he could see the light through his clothes. Tony considered leaving it at that, Steve was the considerate kind of person who would let it go if he asked but that was kind of the reason why he found himself going on.  
  
“As for what happened...”  
  
Steve wouldn’t use this against him, not any of it. He was Captain America, he was good and just and everything that inspired loyalty and trust. The fact of the matter was, Steve was a _good_ person and if Tony couldn’t talk to him then there was no one he could talk to.  
  
“I was overseas for a hands on demonstration of my newest invention, the Jericho missile. Only the whole thing went sideways and upside down. The soldiers I was traveling with were killed and I was hit by one of my own bombs because apparently a trusted SI advisor was selling my stuff under the table to them. And I was too blind to see it. Anyway, so, the attack lodged these metal shrapnel pieces all around my heart and I should have died. But, the Afghanistans put me under the care of a man, Yinsen, and he saved my life. Granted, _his_ version of that involved a car battery hooked up to my chest but it worked and then he helped me make the first prototype of an arc reactor this small.”  
  
“Wait, you’d never made one of those before?” Steve asked, eyes wide.  
  
“Well, I’d made arc reactors but those were all the size of a full room. This was a first for me.”  
  
“Wow. That’s incredible, Tony.”  
  
Tony just shrugged, not entirely comfortable with praise about something he wasn’t even sure _he_ was proud of.  
  
“Really. This is why I wanted to get the story from you, not from some formal write up.”  
  
“You mean besides how you have to decrypt them before you can even understand the lingo?” Tony said teasingly. He’d hacked S.H.I.E.L.D ages ago and looked at quite a few things. The operation was terribly fond of military lingo and complicated sentence structure. Also, it was ridiculously formal.  
  
Steve smiled back at him, “yeah. It just didn’t seem right, reading about something like that. It was _your_ experience. It wouldn’t mean anything if I just read about it.”  
  
“What does hearing it from me change? The facts don’t change just because of the person telling the story.”  
  
“Maybe not,” Steve said thoughtfully. “But it’s not about just the facts. This happened to you, Tony. You survived a horrible thing and that’s not something that should be brushed off like it was a trip to the grocery.”  
  
Tony stared at him over the table, mind whirling and chest tight. _Steve Rogers, ladies and gentlemen._ He thought, fighting the urge to smile. He was done talking though, not willing to face anything more so he took a sip from his soda before putting it down with a thump. “Ready for that game, Cap?”  
  
Steve nodded, willing to let the conversation die, just like Tony had suspected. They got up and headed over to one of the free tables, Steve snagging two cues as they passed the wall lined with them. Tony tested the length of his but Steve must have a good eye because it was perfectly passable.  
  
Tony placed the balls, lifted the triangle and looked at Steve, “be my guest.”  
  
Steve grinned and cracked the set.  
  
\---  
  
As it turned out, Steve was unfairly good. In response to Tony’s pout, Steve shrugged and said, “the strategy isn’t all that different from using my shield.”  
  
Looking down at the black wrapped and hidden shield, Tony figured he was right and that he really should have thought of that. “I call unfair advantage then.”  
  
“You’re a genius, Tony. Let’s call it even, yeah?”  
  
Tony laughed, leaning on his cue stick. “Yeah, yeah. Alright.” He watched Steve lean over the table, matching cue to ball and blinked. He looked away, frowned at himself and looked back. Nope, the thought didn’t leave.  
  
Steve had a very nice ass.  
  
Scowling to himself, Tony shook his head, forcing his eyes on the balls. Pool balls, for that matter. Seriously, it was not happening. Sure, Steve was attractive, fine. He could live with that, it was fine. Ogling the man though, little less fine. Things Tony ogled he had a tendency to touch and no, just no. It was miracle enough that he’d gotten this far into a non-hostile, tentative friendship, he was not about to fuck that up by coming onto the man.  
  
 _No way, no how, keep your eyes to yourself, Stark._  
  
Tony cleared his throat and watched three balls sink into various pockets as Steve stepped back. The blond smiled and Tony faked one in return, still slightly thrown off his stride. Steve didn’t look fooled though, which was odd because Tony knew how to fake smiles; he’d done it all his life for the cameras. He was good at pretending, really good.  
  
“Tony?”  
  
Apparently Steve just had a better bullshit detector. Go figure.  
  
“I’m fine, Steve.”  
  
The Captain didn’t seem to believe him but didn’t press either and Tony stepped up to the table to take his shot. He wasn’t focused though and only pocketed one ball, scattering two others in difficult positions.  
  
Damnit. He’s already awkward and Steve won’t let it lie too long unless Tony can pull himself together. What he needed was a distraction, something to give him a minute or two to recollect. Maybe he should go order more food while it’s Steve’s turn. Or maybe they could be attacked by the villain of the day, that would work too.  
  
Tony really needed to learn to stop tempting fate.  
  
\---  
  
It happened too fast for Tony to really do much more then blink up at the ceiling from his place sprawled on the floor. There was a ringing in his ears and dust in the air and he coughed, pain punching through his still bruised chest. Rolling onto his side, Tony finally got a look at what happened, and it wasn’t pretty.  
  
The bar was missing an entire wall since the one that had been there was now in mangled pieces across the floor. Tony spared a thought to reflect that he was probably going to have to pay to fix that. A flash of red, white and blue caught Tony’s eyes and he squirmed to his feet, heart starting to race. Steve hadn’t been knocked down by the explosion the way Tony had and he’d reacted much faster, retrieving his shield and going after the creature with zero hesitation.  
  
Tony hesitated right now though because...God. Whatever that _thing_ was, it was huge, twice the size of Steve easy. And it looked, Jesus, it looked like something out of a horrifying sci-fi movie.  
  
It stood like a human and had skin that was the blue-green color of scales but for the bright orange patches of tougher hide at the shoulders, elbows and knees like protection. It had a long thick tail, sleek and with a tough ridge along the top. There were two curious spikes protruding from the creature’s back that were like thin, pointy rods but honestly, the head of the creature was the most unsettling.  
  
Mostly because it had no face or if it did it was hidden beneath the black, reflective glass-like portion of its head. Though, the strange gray tubular things sticking out from its neck were rather unusual too.  
  
Tony winced when the beast roared, smacking away Steve’s shield like it was just a frisbee and whipping its tail into a bar stool. _Not good. This is so not good._  
  
“Tony!” Steve called over to him, jumping to scoop his shield up from the floor. “Are you okay?”  
  
“I’m good, Cap. But where the hell did this thing come from!”  
  
Okay, so maybe calling it a thing wasn’t exactly the smartest move. Tony ducked behind the bar counter to avoid a swipe from its huge hands. Thankfully the bar had cleared out almost immediately after the collapse of the wall, since most people actually possessed a sense of self-preservation that heroes seemed to lack. Still, creepy creature from wherever, not good.  
  
The shield rebounded off the back of the creature’s head again and successfully distracted it back to attacking Steve. Tony took the chance to scramble for his communicator, they’d probably need the whole team assembled to take this thing down and he _really_ needed someone to bring him a back-up armor.  
  
Steve yelped then, a sharp sudden sound and Tony froze, heart hammering in his chest with fear. _Steve_. He mouthed before getting up quickly to look over the counter. The sight about made his heart stop and Tony dropped the communicator to leap over the counter. There were pool cues and balls scattered across the floor and he scooped up one now. It was a pitiful weapon but better then his bare hands.  
  
The creature paused to regard him, head tilted slightly as Tony stood there, back stiff but facing it and ready for whatever move it would make. Steve was sprawled on the floor beneath one of its feet, unconscious and shield on his arm.  
  
The thing tensed, shoulders hunching as if bracing for attack and Tony grit his teeth, ready, when something whizzed through the air to impact with the creature’s head and explode. A sharp squeal of sound and the alien recoiled, stumbling back enough for Tony to drop the cue stick and hit his knees next to Steve.  
  
“Steve!” Quick fingers checked for a pulse then slapped his cheek lightly after getting one. “C’mon Steve, now is not nap time.” Tony muttered.  
  
“If you two were going alien hunting you really should have told the rest of us.”  
  
Clint. Of course it was Hawkeye. Who else would bother to follow them?  
  
“Yes, that’s exactly what we were up too, good deduction.” Tony snapped and Clint lifted one shoulder, eyes and bow still pointed at the momentarily cowering creature.  
  
“Hey man, I’m sure some people would find that to be perfect date material, Steve just didn’t really strike me as one of ‘em.”  
  
“Oh, but I did?” Then his words soaked in and Tony cursed. “And this isn’t a _date_!”  
  
“Right.” Clint drawled. “It just looks like one.”  
  
“Shut up and call the others! I don’t think we can take this thing on our own.” Tony grabbed hold of Steve best he could and gestured for Clint to help him drag the super soldier behind the bar.  
  
“Already did.” Clint grunted at Steve’s dead weight and they pulled him safely out of the way. “I take it you don’t know what this is?”  
  
“Well, I certainly don’t have a handy list of aliens to check off.” Tony muttered, sorting through bottles of alcohol and checking labels.  
  
Clint snorted and held up his hands, “hey, I wouldn’t put it passed you.”  
  
The creature, recovered somewhat, roared again and Clint jumped up onto the counter, bow at the ready as he whipped out another arrow. “Hey, Stark. Check out your new work.”  
  
Tony made a triumphant noise and seized a bottle before turning in time to see Clint launch his arrow. It hit dead center of the alien’s chest and sank into the body a few inches but didn’t appear to do anything but quiver slightly. Then the whole alien gave one huge body spanning shiver and collapsed.  
  
Clint whistled, “I don’t know how you got vibranium to work with adamantium in those things but damn do they pack a punch.”  
  
“Right now just be glad I finished them days ago instead of taking my time.” Tony said smugly and popped the cork plugging the bottle in his hand.  
  
Clint looked over his shoulder and frowned, “What are you doing? Little early for a victory drink, don’t you think?”  
  
“Hah, that’s funny.” Tony crouched down by Steve and waved the bottle under his nose. After a few moments, Steve sneezed and woke up at the same time. He wrinkled his nose and gave Tony an unimpressed glare.  
  
“Eww.”  
  
Tony snorted and capped it again, “hey, it woke you up didn’t it?”  
  
Steve’s eyes widened, “Tony!” The Captain jumped to his feet, looking ready to do war but paused after taking a look around. “Clint?”  
  
“Hey, Cap.”  
  
“Where are the others? What happened to the enemy?”  
  
“Yeah, Clint, where are the others? How did you get here so fast and just in the nick of time?” Tony asked with faked innocence.  
  
Clint glared at him and pointedly stared at the body of the unconscious alien. “I was already nearby, if you must know. And I knocked out Mr. Ugly-In-Orange over there.”  
  
“He was following us.” Tony informed Steve, smirking. “Don’t lie, Clint, it’s unbecoming.”  
  
“In that case it’s a wonder you get dates at all.” Clint snapped back.  
  
Steve looked hopelessly lost and after a moment seemed to give up on following them. Instead he grabbed his shield and went around the counter to peer carefully at the alien.  
  
“And yet I do anyway, fancy that!”  
  
“Wait a minute.” Steve said, turning to them after making sure the creature was out. “Why were you following us?”  
  
“He thought we were on a secret date.” Tony said before Clint could and smirked at the archer. He was sure Steve wouldn’t take too kindly to be stalked and he really would love to see that disappointed look directed at someone else for a change.  
  
“What’s secret about it?” Steve asked instead and Tony took a moment to stare at him, not sure if he’d heard that right or was just misunderstanding. There was an awkward moment where Steve stared at both Tony and Clint for an answer, Clint stared steadfastly at the alien and Tony internally freaked out. “Tony?”  
  
“I’m confused,” Tony blurted. “Are you implying this _was_ a date?”  
  
Steve frowned, getting that wrinkle on his forehead that suggested a mix of hurt and frustration. “Yes. I mean, you said yes when I asked so I just assumed...” The super soldier trailed off as if suddenly uncertain and Tony blinked.  
  
“I thought this was just a trial thing to see if we really could put up with each other for any length of time.”  
  
“That’s what dates are, unless that’s changed? I didn’t think so, I mean, no one’s mentioned that if it has.”  
  
Steve looked worried now and unhappy and _damn it_ but Tony didn’t like that look on him. “No, no, you’re right, I guess. I just didn’t, uh, realize you actually meant it.”  
  
“Tony, I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t mean it.”  
  
“Wow.” Clint said suddenly. “You two are just precious, you know that? I feel like I’m gonna puke rainbows over here.”  
  
“Shut up, Barton.” Tony snapped as Steve blushed and shuffled his feet like a shy boy. Regaining his equilibrium now, Tony’s mind worked quickly as he looked around them and at Steve’s hopeful face. “This date sucked.” He said bluntly and Steve winced.  
  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t...”  
  
“I demand another. A proper one this time where we both acknowledge that it is infact a date and doesn’t come included with alien interlopers or super spy stalkers.”  
  
Steve looked at him, surprised, then laughed and Tony couldn’t help but smile.  
  
“Hey, this stalker saved your ass, Stark.” Clint snapped and rolled his eyes.  
  
“I _will_ bribe Coulson into tying you down to watch Supernanny with him.” Tony threatened. “You know you can’t get out of his knots.”  
  
“Whatever.” Clint muttered as he hopped off the counter to go inspect the damaged wall.  
  
Tony nodded to himself with satisfaction and turned to Steve with a grin. “You’re too good for me, you know.” He said, mostly joking but meaning it more than he’d ever admit out loud.  
  
“How would you know?” Steve said with a shake of his head. “We haven’t even had a complete date yet.”  
  
“About that. How many do we have to have before I can kiss you?”  
  
Steve reddened magnificently but looked at Tony steadily. “At least one.”  
  
“Ah, figures.” Tony sighed and cast a mostly fake glare at the crumpled form of the alien. “Damn aliens always ruin things.”  
  
“Usually one.” Steve said as he advanced and Tony leaned against the counter behind him, anticipation sparking. “I think I can give you a preview though.”  
  
“A preview, how kind of you.”  
  
Steve swallowed those last few words straight from Tony’s mouth as he planted his hands on the counter at either side of Tony and kissed him. It was gentle at first, testing the waters before Steve pressed it and Tony gave him everything then opened his mouth to give more. A slight touch of tongue to tongue was all he got before Steve pulled away though and Tony just stopped himself from following.  
  
“Preview.” Steve reminded him lowly and Tony smirked.  
  
“If that’s your preview I can’t wait for the actual first date kiss.”  
  
“Jesus Christ, you two! Can’t you wait until you’re in a room alone before doing that?” Clint yelled over to them and Steve laughed.  
  
“What? You jealous, Barton?” Tony hollered back before Steve took a step away.  
  
“Tomorrow, Tony.” Steve said, drawing his attention away from Clint’s acidic ‘Fuck you, Stark!’.  
  
“Tomorrow what?”  
  
“I’ll pick you up at six and take care of everything, just be ready.”  
  
Tony blinked, suddenly apprehensive. “You’re sure?”  
  
“Again, I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t sure.” Steve said soothingly, that knowing look in his eyes as reassuring as it was unsettling.  
  
“Okay. Yeah. Sure, I’ll see you then. Well, probably before then because we live in the same place in all but definitely then too. Six o’clock, I got it.” He nodded a few times and grinned at the look on Steve’s face. Fond amusement was so much better then the disappointment of those first two meetings they had.  
  
Well, whatever, forget those. Bad impressions all around. It was better now, _they_ were better now.  
  
Thor’s booming voice heralded the arrival of the rest of the team and Steve gave Tony one last lingering look before going to deal with the alien. Tony just stayed leaning against the counter and smiling at nothing. Well, not nothing. He had a date with Captain America, after all.  
  
That was pretty much everything.  



End file.
